Tell Her
by Fangfairy
Summary: Archie has a crush on Patrice. Patrice has a crush on Archie. Neither of them know it. Both are pretending to like someone else. Will they ever learn the truth, or will they be forever thinking "what if"?
1. Chapter 1 Archie

**AN: This idea was brought to me by Annabeth The Unicorn, via review on What It Means To Be A Friend. Love you, dearie! This switches perspectives every chapter, between Archie and Patrice. The chapter titles will be the person whose perspective it's in. Sort of like the book Flipped, if any of you have read it. Sort of following the original story line, but not at some points (i.e. movie theater scene). Hope you like it!**

She likes him. No, she _loves_ him. Even after he broke her heart in front of the entire school. I guess I should've seen it coming. The new kid, all mysterious and whatnot. It'll wear off. Oh, God. Who am I kidding? Of course she won't. She's a _girl_. I'm going to have to sit there and listen to all her stories about how he _smiled_ at her, and apologized when he _bumped into_ her and blah, blah, blah.

Why can't she see that I'm perfect for her? I've known her quite literally forever. I know all her quirks, all her secrets. We tell each other _everything_. I'm her shoulder to cry on. She's there for me when things look bad. Like, really bad. So bad, I may not live through it. Literally. It's the MD.

Sometimes, being Patrice's best friend isn't the greatest. Like when you have a huge crush on her. There are a few problems there. First of all, I have to listen to her go on and on about Evan, the new kid she's obsessing over. Second, she's my only friend, so telling her how I feel might make it all awkward. I can't have that; otherwise I'll really be friendless. Lastly, if Evan shows the slightest bit of interest, I'm screwed.

The worst part is Evan lives right next to Patrice. They see each other basically every day. They walk home together. Plus, she spent an entire month with him over the summer. I hate to say it, but he's winning her over. I can't let that happen. Every time I get up the nerve to tell her I like her, I wimp out and feed her some crap about Kendra. Yeah, right.

Anyways, Patrice was over at my house, as she is almost every day after school. We usually talk about people, who's doing what with who and who said what and whatever. But lately, all she wants to do is talk about Evan.

"You'll never guess what." She said excitedly, lunging forward a bit in excitement. I was sitting down beside her on my bed, my crutches lying on the floor beside us. Her face was about five inches from mine, and even though I liked having her that close to me, I had to disguise it. I used one finger to push her forehead back, as if she was too close for comfort.

"What?" I asked, sighing a bit. I almost said 'What did Evan do now?', but I figured that would be mean. Being mean is definitely _not_ how you get a girl to like you.

"Today, after math, when he was picking up his books, Evan's hand brushed over mine! On purpose!" She squealed excitedly. I tried to look enthused, doing my best to hide the fact that my heart sank. "Just like this!" She added, brushing her hand over mine to demonstrate. I hoped to God that I didn't blush.

"Cool." I nodded, smiling a bit. She looked disappointed. "What?"

"I just expected you to be happier for me, that's all." She said. There was a long, awkward pause.

"What do you see in him?" I asked suddenly. She looked up at me, confused.

"I don't know, really." She said after giving it some thought. "I mean, he's cute, but that's only skin-deep, right? I wonder if that's the only thing I like about him. That's weird, isn't it?" She said sort of quickly. I guess she didn't feel like opening up. That's fine, I didn't really want to hear about how great Evan is, anyways.

"Yeah…" I said awkwardly. It was really weird. Things between Patrice and I are never awkward. _Ever._ We were like each other's private journals. Except, I would never tell her I like her. Hell no. Too risky.

"Well, I should get going. My mom's going to be wondering where I am." She smiled, grabbing her backpack off the blue sheets and walking briskly toward the door. Grabbing my crutches, I hobbled as fast as I could after her. She stopped at the door.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked, feeling stupid. What kind of question was that? Of course I'd see her tomorrow. There are only like, 20 people in the whole town. I'd see _everyone_ tomorrow. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Of course." She smiled brightly, turning and walking down the sidewalk. I watched her walk until she went around the corner. I gently shut the door and slumped against it, balancing myself so only one crutch was needed and using my other hand to run my fingers through my hair. Why is it that out of all the girls I couldn't get, I just happened to have a huge crush on my best and only friend? As if my life weren't difficult enough.

I staggered into the kitchen and sat at the table, pouring myself a glass of water from the pitcher that sat as a centerpiece.

How could I get Patrice? I mean, I really like her, but I can't come right out and say it, can I? That would just lead to her never talking to me again. She'd avoid me at school, start hanging around with Evan more… and bam. She's gone. No, no, no. I needed a plan.

Think, Archie. How can you get her away from Evan, but not let her know? How can you pull her toward you without her realizing what I'm doing?

I did a classic spit-take as I figured it out, spraying mom's new tablecloth with speckles of water. Oops. But I had a plan. An absolutely perfect, flawless, foolproof plan. Foolproof, maybe, but is it Archie-proof? I always find a way to screw everything up. Not this time. Oh, no. This time, everything is going to be perfect. I could feel it. Time to put my plan in action.

**AN: I hope it was good! It was kind of short, but they'll get longer, I swear! So the next chapter is the same event but in Patrice's perspective. Then chapter 3 will be a new event in Archie's perspective, and then the same one in Patrice's and so on. Give me good reviews, guys! If you didn't like something, tell me! I would prefer a suggestion than just "Good chapter, update soon" any day. Not that hearing that you like it isn't great, but I'd like a bit more detail. What did you like about it? What didn't you like? Suggestions for next time? That sort of thing. **


	2. Chapter 1 Patrice

**AN: Okay, so this is the same events from chapter 1, except in Patrice's point of view, just in case anyone was still confused. Hope you like it!**

I like him. No, I _love_ him. I don't know when or how, but I do. The way he smiles, his inner strength… I just love him for it. He stares in the face of death on a weekly basis, pretty much, and he never cracks. Never.

I think the day I fell in love with Archie Walker was the day he had his first spinal cord surgery. Something went wrong, and the doctors said that he had a slight chance of making it through the night. So you know what he did? He stayed up until four in the morning watching Spiderman reruns. Just like a normal kid. Okay, not a normal kid, but an Archie. The point is he didn't care what they said. He just said that he wasn't going to die. And he didn't. That's what I love about him.

We were sitting on his bed, and I was staring into his shining, chocolaty brown eyes. He looked right back into my blue ones and it took all the strength I had not to grab him and kiss his face off. But I knew in my heart that I couldn't. He liked Kendra. He was crazy about her. He always talks about her. But I guess that's okay, since I'd never have the guts to tell him how I feel. Every time I work up the courage to tell him, something inside me makes me freeze up and I spew something random about Evan. I don't mean to say that I don't like Evan, because I do, but just not like that. Archie already stole my heart.

I snapped back into reality, where I was staring like an insane person into his eyes. I shook my head a bit and started talking before he could ask me what I was doing.

"You'll never guess what." I said with a bit too much enthusiasm. Oh, God. Why did I say that? I didn't even know what I was going to say after he asks 'what?' I guess I was too close for comfort, because he pushed my forehead away from him with his finger.

"What?" He asked, sounding impatient. Oh, God. What now? Uh… c'mon Patrice. Think!

"Today, after math, when he was picking up his books, Evan's hand brushed over mine! On purpose!" I said, sounding like a chipmunk. Oh, my God. Why did I have to be so awkward? Why can't it be like when we were in the fifth grade, when I could come over to his house without worrying if my hair looked okay or spending an hour picking out my clothes? "Just like this." I said, brushing my hand over his in a lame excuse to touch his hand. Why did I have to be such a girl?

He said something, but I wasn't paying attention. I was looking at him, thinking about how he'll never be mine. I'm never going to get to kiss him. I'm forever Patrice, the best friend. I guess I looked upset, because I heard him ask, "What?"

"I just expected you to be happier for me, that's all." I said, thinking on the spot. I tried to look hurt. Then came one of the most painful silences in the history of the world. Okay, I had to get out of here before I embarrassed myself further.

"What do you see in him?" Archie asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Talk about getting out of the fire and into the frying pan. Wait… this could be my big chance. I'm going to tell him how I feel. I can do it. I thought about what I'd say. _I don't see anything in him. I love _you_, Arch. _Yes. I'll do it. I'll-

"I don't know, really." Damn. "I mean, he's cute, but that's only skin-deep, right? I wonder if that's the only thing I like about him. That's weird, isn't it?" I said as if it were all one sentence. Oh, lord. I need to get out of here.

"Yeah…" Archie said, ending the conversation. Why was this so difficult? We never had problems talking about this kind of thing before. What had changed?

"Well, I should get going. My mom's going to be wondering where I am." I said with false happiness, in my lame attempt to lighten the mood. I snatched up my bag and walked briskly towards the door, trying to hold back tears. Archie had followed me down the hall, and I decided to do the polite thing and wait for him to catch up.

"See you tomorrow?" He asked sweetly. Oh, God, he was so freaking cute.

"Of course." I smiled. Every fiber of my being wanted me to lean in and kiss him on the cheek, leaving him all confused until he realized that all this time I was the one he really wanted. But that only happens in the stupid movies we go see to make fun of for that exact reason. It never happens in real life.

I turned and walked as quickly as I could down the little ramp that replaced the front steps a few years back. Tears ran down my cheeks as I walked briskly down the street and around the corner, where Archie wouldn't be able to see me anymore. Once I was out of sight, I started running. I felt a few of the neighbor's eyes staring at me as I ran, but I didn't care. I bolted up my front steps, through the front door and threw myself down on my bed.

I don't really know why I was crying, but I did for a good half hour. My mom came in once, asking if I want to "talk about it". Wasn't she my age once? Does she not know that nobody ever, _ever_ wants to talk about it? Gosh. Mothers.

I didn't know what to do. Usually when I'm upset, I call Archie. But I couldn't call Archie to talk about Archie. So I did the only think I could do. I went up to the mountain.

The mountain isn't really a mountain, more like a hill. It's covered in trees and flowers, and is completely ignored by the rest of Appleton. It sounds weird, but the mountain and I understand each other. I know, how can a lump of dirt and grass understand a person? Well, I don't know. We just do.

It's been my secret place to go since Archie got sick. Well, he's always had muscular dystrophy, but since he got so sick that he spends a large amount of time in hospitals. Whenever he was having a hard time and I couldn't go in to see him, I'd go up there. It's just a place for me to clear my head. Scream, talk to the sky, watch the cars drive by way off in the distance… it was perfect.

I shouted to my mom that I was going out, and went back outside. I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself down in case anyone from school saw me. I ran across the street, where the mountain was. I clambered up, taking a deep breath as I reached the top. I couldn't help but feel a bit sad. The only other times I've had a reason to come up here is when Archie's sick in the hospital.

I screamed as loud as I could into the horizon, imagining the sound reaching the next town over. I lay down on my back and gazed up into the purple sky, thinking aloud about all my problems. I breathed in the fresh autumn air, and for a minute or two, everything felt normal. For a minute or two, I didn't have a best friend who was sick, and I didn't love him. For a minute or two, it was just Patrice. Patrice and nobody else. No Evan, no Brett, no Kendra, no-

"Hi." A voice said meekly from behind me.

**AN: I'm going to be mean and stop it right there. I sort of borrowed the idea for that last bit from Footloose. I'll probably get at least another chapter done this long weekend, since it's Canadian thanksgiving and I don't have school on Monday. R&R!**


	3. Chapter 2 Archie

**AN: Where we last left our Archie…**

I grabbed the phone from the counter behind me and quickly dialed Evan's phone number. I drummed my fingers impatiently as I listened to the dial tone. On the third ring, he answered.

"Hello?" He asked casually.

"Evan, it's me. Archie." I said. I could practically _hear_ him wishing it had been anyone else. Gee, I'm feeling the love.

"Hey, Archie." He said in a very bored tone.

"Remember the other day when you asked me to get you some tickets to the Bloodmaster?" I asked, knowing he'd remember.

"Yeah?" He said with sudden eagerness in his tone. So he only wants to talk to me when there's something in it for him? Nice. What did Patrice see in him?

"I decided I'll do it. On one condition." I told him before he could get all excited. _Yeah, not that easy, pal._

"What's the condition?" Evan asked curiously.

"I need you to tell me someting." I said, hoping he couldn't tell how embarrassed I was.

"Look, I honestly don't think it's going to happen between you and Kendra…" Evan sounded sympathizing. I rolled my eyes.

"No, no. Not that. It's about Patrice." I said as if he were an idiot. Well, he kind of was, but you know.

"Patrice." He repeated. God, he wasn't the brightest, was he?

"That would be correct." I said impatiently.

"Yeah, okay. Shoot." He said, sounding a bit confused.

"Well… I… Do you like her?" I tried to find words to phrase it in a way that didn't make me sound like a total loser.

"Oh, yeah. Patrice is cool." He said in a no-big-deal tone. Was he really that oblivious?

"No, like as in more than a friend." Well, come right out and say it, why don't I.

"Oh, I… I don't know. Why am I telling you this? I gotta go." Evan said hurriedly. So Captain Obvious liked her. Damn it. My heart sank into my stomach.

"No! Wait!" I shouted into the receiver.

"What?" He replied, to my relief.

"The tickets." I said. I can't believe he totally forgot about that.

"Right. You know how to get my mom to get the tickets?" He asked.

"Yeah. You'll have your tickets by Wednesday." I promised.

"Perfect. Thanks. I'll talk to you later. Bye." He said, sounding distracted. The line went dead. I threw it down to the tiled floor, thoroughly pissed off at everything. So that's it. Game over. Patrice and Evan were going to get together and I was going to be poor Archie, all alone. Not in this lifetime. I had to get to Patrice before Evan did. And I had to do it now.

I checked the clock. Four-thirty. Where was Patrice usually at four-thirty? Right. My house. Crap. Well, she headed back towards her house, so I guess that's the first place to check. I grabbed a sticky-note and pen and quickly jotted down where I was going, in case my mom or dad came in early. Picking up my crutches, I made my way toward the door.

I stumbled down the street and to Patrice's place, using the little ramp her mom had made to help me when I first got my crutches. Mrs. Parker was like, my second mom. Actually, I probably talked to her more than my own mom.

I knocked three times on the door. Mrs. Parker answered almost immediately.

"Hey, Arch." See what I mean? "Patrice left a while ago. She went up to that hill she's always on about." Mrs. Parker shrugged. "She was pretty upset about something."

"Alright, I'll go see what's wrong. Thanks, Mrs. P." I said, turning and rushing back down the ramp and toward the hill.

"No problem." She said in a very 'Oh, you' tone.

_Why does Patrice have to go sit on a freaking hill when something was bothering her?_ I thought as I trekked up the hill, panting. Hey, it wasn't easy when you can only use the muscles in your arms to climb up. _Why can't she go find a nice bench or rooftop?_

I remember the first time she came up here. It was when we were eleven and I was in the hospital. I wasn't allowed visitors for a few days. Back then, it was only Patrice and I against the world. None of this Evan crap. I guess she was pretty bored without my amazing personality and charm, so she came up here. I remember her bursting into my hospital room, telling me about how I had to come up with her once I was better. She told me about how beautiful and peaceful it was, apparently untouched by other people. I'm sure that was a bit of an exaggeration, but she was just so excited about it.

The next morning after I was out of the hospital was probably the weirdest moment of my life. I was woken up at the crack of dawn by Patrice, who somehow had gotten into my room and was laying out clothes for me so that I could come watch the sunrise with her. Apparently, it is very pretty from the top of the hill. I remember thinking she was the weirdest person on the planet, until I saw the sunrise. She was right; it was probably the most amazing thing I had ever seen. Well, actually, the most amazing thing I've ever seen is the first TV ad for Halo 3, but the sunrise is right up there. We sat up there for the rest of the day, taking in the rest of the world. My favourite part about it is probably that you can see past the boundaries of Appleton. Just knowing that over a little hill there's another world, well, it's sort of comforting.

I had reached the top, and I saw Patrice lying in the grass. And I thought the sunrise was beautiful. Her hair fell perfectly around her head like a halo. She looked perfectly in harmony with the rest of the world, right at peace. Something we don't get a lot of in Appleton, believe me. Her crystal clear blue eyes were dreamy and far away, deep in thought. I forced myself to break the serenity.

"Hey." I said nervously. She sat up and looked at me, smiling sadly.

**AN: Okay, I'm really self-critical, but even I think that the end of this chapter is freaking adorable. "And I thought the sunrise was beautiful."… AWWWWWW! I was pretty proud of that line. It's just so damn cute! The chapters are probably going to stay about this long, since I repeat them. THANK YOU TO ANNABETH THE UNICORN FOR HELPING ME! The plot of this story is based on an amazing idea she gave me via Private Message, and I must say it's genius! I love you, hun! :) R&R!**


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